Pines men accused of sex with boy, not revealing HIV status

PEMBROKE PINES — Two men are behind bars – accused of plying a 16-year-old boy with poppers, hot tubbing and engaging in unprotected sex with him and not revealing that one or both of them were HIV positive.

According to arrest reports, Darrell Allen Evans, 40, and Huy Kien Trinh, 32, met the boy on Grindr, an "all-male, location-based social network" site, where they exchanged a series of sexually charged instant messages that quickly led to a Dec. 12 rendezvous at their home in the 15100 block of Northwest Seventh Court.

While the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys analyzed the case -- and its potential for attempted murder charges -- during a Jan. 11 hearing in first-appearance court, Evans and Trinh, side by side in jailhouse scrubs, wept.

"Heavens knows how many victims we may have out there," Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder said during the hearing, remarking that after the men waived their Miranda rights, they told police that they "regularly meet other males and engage in unprotected sex without notifying them that they are HIV positive."

In this instance, Linder said, the men, in fact, told the boy they were HIV negative.

For failing to reveal their HIV status and several counts of sexual assault of a minor, Broward County Judge Ian Richards set Evans' bond at $410,000 and Trinh's at $420,000. He also prohibited either man from accessing the Internet, associating with minors or engaging in sex with anyone.

"I do consider you a threat to the community," Richards said, stopping short of charging each man with attempted murder and instead fashioning their bond to reflect their failure to disclose the potentially fatal virus.

Neither man has posted bond. They're each being held at the Main Jail.

Since 2008, approximately 156 people nationwide have been arrested or prosecuted for exposing sex partners to HIV, according to the Center for HIV Law and Policy in New York. Fifteen of those cases were in Florida.

Reports of cases like these "have increased pretty dramatically over the last four years," said Catherine Hanssens, the center's executive director. And, while she has no numbers she can attach as proof, Hanssens speculates that "there are more cases than are reported."

The arrest reports do not say what prompted the boy to contact authorities. Redacted from the reports is a summary of Evans' and Trinh's statements to police.

The boy told police he met Evans on Grindr's mobile application, which he had downloaded to his iPhone, the reports said.

Launched in 2009, Grindr boasts that more than 4 million guys in 192 countries use the site and estimates that more than 10,000 new users download the mobile app every day.

"You'll always find a new date, buddy, or friend on Grindr," its web site says.

The police reports detail the encounter between the boy and men like this:

When the boy arrived at their house, the trio undressed and got into a hot tub where they kissed and fondled one another and engaged in sex acts.

They moved on to a bedroom where they continued the sexual activity and inhaled "poppers," which gave the boy "a relaxed euphoric feeling."

The report notes that "poppers" is street slang for alkyl nitrates, which are used recreationally to enhance sexual pleasure.

Unable to identify Evans or Trinh in a photo line up, the boy on Dec. 17 participated in controlled text messages and a phone call with them.

During those exchanges, Evans and the boy recounted how much fun they had together and detailed their favorite moments. Trinh complimented the boy on his performance, remarked how young he looked and said "the youngest guy he had sex with was 17." He also told the boy his last name.

According to the police reports, these were Trinh's parting words when the boy left his home after their sexcapade: "Don't talk to strangers."